Manual lubricator for ignition interrupters



Sept 21, 1943.

F. 5. cos: EI'AL 2,330,028

MANUAL LUBRICATOR FOR IGNITION INTERRUPTERS Filed Feb. 10, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet. l

ATTORNEY Sept. 21, 1943. s. COE ETAL 2,330,028

MANUAL LUBRICATOR FOR IGNITION INTERRUPTERS Filed Feb. 10, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I'LL x w v Ill-l mull-n gw/f. xi w ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 21, 1943 MANUAE'EUBRIGATOR FOE IGNITION I-NTERRUPTERIS Frank S.-Goe Mitchel-t Mass.,. assignors to- American Bosch corpora:-

tion, Springfield; Ma York pringfield,

'ss., a corporation of. Newv Applied/ion Rbl'uary'10, 1942; SeriatNmAflMl'lZ 1'0" Claims. (Cl. 134-102) The presentinvention relates to manual lubricat'ors for ignitioninterrupters forintermittently' depositing at will a small amount: of oil or other'lubricant on the interrupter mecha nism, such as the lever, cam or cam follower thereof, of an ignition generator such asanmgnet'o or Battery ignition distributor; when the generator is-at rest, and more particularlyitrelates to an automatic returntype. of'lufirica'ton for this purpose:

v Heretofore, as disclosedin U; 83 Patent 2,265,047, thistype of lubricator mollfilfd on bhe cylindrical wall" of the interrupter housing is operable by a simple or unimpededpush stroke for depositing oil on the rotatable cam by contact therewith of an oil saturated wick. In some cases; this positioning of'tfie l'l'ibricator is dillcult without rearraging some of the partsof the interrupter mechanism or otherpart's associated therewith in the interrupter compartment within the interrupter housing, and also (1065 not readily permitthe removal or the accurate replacement of the lubrioat'or. Furthermore, the simple; push stroke tod'epos'it oilon the cam often led to overoiling' in each on too frequent application byinadvertence; which resulted in pitting and burning or theinterrupter contacts and sometimes in other troubles that reduced" the subsequent eflectiveness of the generator operating life.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a l'ubri'cator' of this general type which, instead of a simple pushmovement for efiect'ing lubrication, hasa: turning movement throughout the entire stroke or only during a part thereof, so as either to sweepthe cam or othetpa-rt of the interrupter mechanism for lubricating it more effectively and with better control of the quantity deposited, or else to introduce a compound movement including pushing and turnmg 'ineither sequence to at least red'uc'e ii not prevent inadvertent actuations at undesired times; or to both improve the effectiveness of lubrication and restrain undesirable applications as might result over lubrication.

Another object, irrespective of the compound movement,- is the provision for mounting the lubrioator' in the cap of the interrupter housing: to thereh'y' permit roadie)? removal of the Ililbtimmt for inspection, adjustment, repair or renewals, and more accurate replacement of it thereafter; and also to thereby provide in some cases tor-the better accommodation of the lubrlcatoidn the interrupter compartment.

application or upi and thereby decreased its and generally oisuen continued effectiveness throughout longperiods of service in depositing on the interrupter mechanism asmall and substantially like quantity: of lubricantduring application thereof;

Still another'obiect' off the invention is to provideunitary lubric'ators which are 01' the above noted kinds and have the above noted advantages, and'which-are intended. as replacement unitsand' for" installation on ignition generators not originally: equipped therewith.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of several embodiments-within the invention, showing as examples spring-return oil: lubricat'ors arranged to Contact at will the rotatable cams of" aviation magnetos, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing thelubricatons in normal or inoperative position. In these draw, ings,

Figs; l-5 show one embodiment" of the lubricator, of the turn-push type, mounted in: the wan 01 the interrupter'housing; Fig; 1 is-a plan view, partly insection, of the interruptermechani'sm and the lubricator; parts or" the associated magneto and interrupter housing being broken away; Fig. 2 is an enlarged section of the lubricator on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1, with some parts in elevation; Fig. 3 is a section online 3-3 of Fig. 2; with some parts: in elevation; and Figs 4 and" 5 are, respectively, a sectional view of apart of the bushing of the lubricator, and an end view thereof, to illustrate the slots for guiding the plunger in its compound movements into contact: with the cam and back to normal position.

Figs; 6-10 show another embodiment of the Iubricator' of the pushturn type, mounted in the eap of the interrupter-housing. Figi 6 shows. the

lubricator in side view, partly in section and partly in. elevation; Fig. 7' is an, enlarged section on line 7-! ct Fig. 6 with certain parts, in elevation; Fign 8is' a sectionv on line 8-0 of Fig. 7; 9 is a development 01', the guiding slots in the bushing; and Fig. 10; illustrates the movement of the wick in the swinging movement to lubricate the cam.

Fig. ll'shows a longitudinal section of a third embodiment of the lubricate: of the turn type, mounted in-the cap of the interrupter housing; and Fig. 12is similar to Fig. 10 but illustrating the lubricator of Fig. ll.

Referring first to the tum-push embodiment associated with a terminal 9, a condenser-1E3,

and electrical conducting leads as H and i2.

In this embodiment, the manual lubricator,

generally indicated by 13, has a bushing M which is screwed into the side wall 2 against alock washer IE to form supporting means for the lubricator in the housing, the knurled operating knob l6 being arranged smooth exterior surface of the bushing extension I1. The plunger of the lubricatoriha's a solid cylindrical shank l8 fastenedby the-cross pin 19 to the cylindrical shaft extension 20 which in turn is fastened by setscrew 21 to the knob and which is arranged toturn and slide against the smooth interior wall of the bushing extension II. The plunger-has at its other end a hollow portion 22 which holds an oil-saturated felt wick 23 projecting outwardly thereof as shown from an oil reservoir 24 The bushing ex+ tension I"! has two diametrically-opposite longitudinal slots 25 terminating between a low end wall 26 and a high end wall 21 about 90 each in extent. The helical spring 28 lies loosely around the plunger shank I8: and the interior wall of the, bushing extension H, with its ends 29 and 30 extending into drill holes in'thebushing m and the shaft extension 20. With theparts in normal position as shown in Fig. 2, the spring 23 is initiallytorsioned and compressed, sothat the ends of the cross'pin 19 are spring-pressed against the sides .of the highwall 21 at, theend surfaces of the low walls 26. To apply oil to the cam I in this embodiment of Figs. 1-5, the knob orhandle jl6 is turned about-90to further wind the spring 28, and to bring the ends of the pin l9 into-registry with the slots 25, whereuponthe handle is pushed against the added longitudinal stress -'of.-the spring until the wick 23 contacts the registering lobe of cam 1. Upon release of the handle I6, the spring 28 first returns ,the'plunger longitudinally and then turns it together with the shaft extension 2!] and handle it until the parts. are restored to normal position illustrated, readyfor the next application. v 1

In the embodiment ofiFigs.-6.-,10, a push-turn type of manuallubricator, generally indicated by 31, is mounted in the interrupter cap 3 at one side of the ventilator 32 therein, for, lubricating the cam I. The bushing 33 isscrewed in an opening in the cap and is held against turning therein by the set pin 34. i The nut 35- is screwed against the lock washer 36 on the hollow cylindrical extension 31 of the bushing to hold the cap securely between the bushing and nut. Thus the bushing 33 and the nut 35 together form supporting means fastening the lubricator to the interrupter housingso as to support it therefrom. The plunger, having the solid shank 38 and the wick holder 39, is fastened bythe cross pin 40 to the shaft extension 4| which is fastened by set screw 42 to the operating hane dle 43. Thus the shaft extension M' is adapted to slide and turn in the-smooth'interior surface of the hollow extension of the cylindrical nut to turn and slide on the 35, while the handle A3 is adapted to slide and turn on the smooth extension surface of the nut extension 44. The helical spring 45 has its ends 46 and 41 extending into drill holes in the shaft extension All and the bushing 33 and is initially torsioned and compressed so as to reliably hold thepluh'ger in the normal or inoperative position shown, and to return it to that position upon being released after each application of lubricant. To guide the plunger in its compound movement of push and turn in the manuallyoperated lubricating stroke, and in the reverse sequence in the return spring stroke, the bushing extension 31 has near its outer end the diametrically-opposite longitudinal slots 58 and the connecting circumferential slots 69 of about 45 extent. The ends of the pin at are normally in registry with the slots 43 and in being pushed 25 tion downwardly therein against the added compression of the spring 45, and then in being turned in the slots 49 against the added torsion of the spring, the plunger 38 isgiven a like compound movement in its lubricating stroke, and upon release is returned to normal posiby the stressed spring in reverse sequence. The wick holder 39, retaining the wick has a spun-over lip at 5! securing in place the disc 52 which has its ends 5 5 bent inwardly to form a lubricant-applying wick portion 5%.

To apply oil to the cam 1 with this embodiment of Figs. 6-10, the handle 53 is pushed down to bring the wick 50 in the plane of the cam 1,. and is then turned to wipe the wick portion 5 across the bottom lobe of the cam. Upon re- ,35 lease, the spring 45 returns the plunger to its normal position by first turning the pin it back in'the circumferential slots 49 and then pushing the pin through the longitudinal slots 48.

In the turn type of the embodiment of Figs. 11

40 and Y12, the lubricator is likewise mounted in the interrupter cap 3 but with the lubricating wick 55 permanently in the plane of the cam 1. Similar to arrangement of the first or turnpush embodiment, the plunger 56 has an oil reservoir 51 and a stop formed by a shoulder between the plunger and the bushing 58. The pin 59 isarranged to be turned manually about 45 in the diametrically-opposite circumferential slots 65] of the bushing and to be returned in the reverse direction to the normal position illustrated by the then stressed spring fil'upon release of the handle 62. As in the embodiment in Figs. 6-10, the bushing 58, together with its cylindrical extension, and the nut screwed onto the cylindrical extension, form supporting means for fastening the lubricator to the housing 3 and supporting it therefrom. The operation of applying oil to the cam I by turning the wick portion 63 will be obvious.

It will be observed that in the turn-push type of lubricator herein disclosed, the oil or other lubricant is deposited on the cam by pushing the end of the wick to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 1, thereby squeezing oil out of the wick onto the cam. Although the quantity deposited during each application may be small, there is a greater percentage of variation of the deposit, depending upon the pushing force exerted and the dryness of the end of the wick, than in the push-turn and the turn types which, as a result of the turn, movement solely in depositing the oil, in .each direction of sweep, exert a substantially constant pressure between the wick and cam. In Fig. 6, the broken line shows the position of the wick during the turning gaseous part of. the movement, and in Figs. and 12 the positions of the wick are shown at the beginning and end of the oil depositing strokes thereof.

. It will also be observed that in connection with the turn-push and push-turn types, there is a compound manual movement required in the application of the lubricant, precluding, as a practical matter, such inadvertent or unknowing applications as have been found to lead to undesirable over-oiling resulting in pitting and burning of the interrupter contacts and therefore premature failure of the ignition generator. Furthermore, it will be observed that the low wall 28 and the longitudinal slot 25 of the embodiment of Figs. 1-5, and the slots 48 and 49 of the embodiment of Figs. 6-10, form compound guiding surfaces for the cross pins l9 and 8, with an intermediate stop between the two directional parts of the compound movement to render still more unlikely the over-oiling of theinterrupter mechanism as a result of inadvertent operation of the Iubricator. Likewise the end of the cylindrical extension 01' the bushing 58 forms a guiding surface for the cross pin 59' of the embodiment of Figs, 11 and 12! Also it will be observed from Fig. L t'hat the sometimes crowded condition of the interrupter compartment makes it impossible or undesirable to mount the lubricator in the side wall 01 the interrupter housing. In such and other cases, it may become desirable tomount the lubricator in the end cap as disclosed in connection with the push-turnand turn types hereof. Furthermore, by this mounting the lubricators may be readiIy removed with the can without diassembly therefrom, and the Iu'bricator then inspected, adjusted or repaired, may be readily replaced without disturbing the accurate position of the lubricator relatively to the cam.

Furthermore, it will be observed that the oil or other lubricant may be deposited on parts of the interrupter other than the cam, provided that thereafter the lubricant gets onto the cam to prevent excessive friction between it and the cam follower or followers without reaching the contacts. For instance, ii the oil is deposited on the lever carrying the cam follower, it gradually flows or passes by capillary action onto" the cam. Lubricant other than oil may be used, as

for instancegraphit'e, in which case thelubricant applicator may take the form of a stick or rod or otherwise, instead of the wicks as shown. Also it is possible that the interrupter miec'hanismmay be lubricated without actuali contact by the applicator but: merely by proper coaction therewith.

The advantagessimplicity in construction of the lubrica-tors herein disclosed will be apparent to those skilled in the art, as, for instance; the means by which the compound movemerit of the turn-push and push-turn types-is obtained with alimitation of the extent of the first directional part of the lubricating movement, and themeans by which the cooking and therefore binding of theplungers of all three embodiments is prevented by providing con centric surfaces movable with the manual operating means on the exterior and interior surfaces of the supportingrmeans. It will be under stood. also that; many other modifications may be made, as for instance the following: the turnpush type may also be mounted in the interrupter cap instead of'in the side wall of the interrupter housing as shown, and the push-turn and the turn types may be mounted in the side wall instead. or in the cap as shown; and the return movement" of the lubricant applicator to normal or inoperative position in the three types herein disclosed need not be in the: reverse direction or sequence to the movement to apply the lubricant; It will therefore be: understood that the terms of appended claims should be given their broadest interpretation and scope.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

11. The. combination with an ignition: generator having an interrupter housing, a shaft in said housing, and interru ter mechanism operable by the shaft; of a manual lubricate: which is fastened' to the housing and which includes a lubricant applicator, manual operatingmeans which is constructed and arranged to move the applicator in a compound movement from nor:- mal position out of emotion with the inter'- I ruptermechanisni to a lubricating position in ctdiate said positions action therewith and which has a stop intetmeto limit the extent of the first directional part of the compoundmovement, and means automatically enective upon release of the operating means at said lubric'at ing position to return the same and the applicator to said normal position.

2. The combination with an ignition generator having an interrupter housing including a side wall and: a cap removabl'y fastened to the side wall over the outer open end thereof, a shaft terminating within the interrupter housing, and interrupter mechanism o erable by the shaft of a; manual lubricator' which is fastened solely to the cap so as to be removable therewith and which includes a lubricant applicator extending within the housing, manual operating means which extends outside theses and which is constructed and arranged to movethe applicator in a compound movement from normal position out of coaction with the interrupter" mechanism to a' lubricating position in: coaction therewith and has a. stop intermediate said positions to limit the extent of the: first directional part of the compound movement, and automatlc'inans effective upon release of the operating means to return the ssmeand the applicator to a position in which the applicator is out or coaction with the interrupter mechanism.

3-. The combination with an ig'n'iti'oii generator having an interrupter housing, ashaft in said housing, and interrupter mechanism operable 'y the shaft," or a manual lubi'i'cator' which is fastened to the housing and whicli includes a lubric'ant applicator, manual operating means which is constructed and arranged by a com pound movement thereof lflCllldillg a; turning operation for a part of the movement and a longitudinal operation for another part of the mo'vei'ii'eiitto bring the" applicator from it'snortrial position out of'coa'ction with the interrupter mechanism to a lubricating positionin coaction therewith and which ha'sa stop limiting the-extent of the first} oi said directional operations, and means automatically effective u on release of the operating means at' said lubricating position to retu n tliesame and-t'he applicator tosaio norm a1 position.

4". The combination with an ignition generator having an interrupter housing, a shaft" in said housing; and interrupter mechanism operable by the shaft; of a manual lubricator which is fastened to the housing and which includes a lubricant applicator, manual operating means which is constructed and arrangedby alcompound movement thereof including a turning operation for the first part of the movement and a longitudinaloperation for the second part of the movement to bring the applicator from its normal position out of coaction with the interrupter mechanism to a lubricating position in coaction therewith and which has a stop limiting the angular extent of said turning operation, and means automatically effective upon release of the operating means at said lubricating position to return the same and the applicator to said normal position.

5. The combination with an ignition generator having an interrupter housing, a. shaft in said housing, and interrupter mechanism operable by the shaft; of a manual lubricator which is fastened to the housing and which includes a lubricant applicator, manual operating means which is constructed and arranged by a compound movement thereof including a longitudinal operation for the first part of the movement and a turning operation for the second part of the movement to bring the applicator from its normal position out of coaction with the interrupter mechanism to a lubricating position in coaction therewith and which has a stop limiting the longitudinal extent of said longitudinal operation, and means automatically effective upon release of the operating means at said lubricating position to return the same and the applicator to said normal-position.

6. The combination with an ignition generator having an interrupter housing, a shaft in the housing, and interrupter mechanism operable by the shaftyof a manual lubricator which is fastened to the housing and which includes a lubricant applicator, supporting means fast with the housing for supporting the lubricator thereon, manual operating means connected to the applicator for moving it from normal position out of coaction with the interrupter mechanisminto lubricating position in coaction therewith, and means automaticallyv effective upon release of the operating means at said lubricating position to return the same and the applicator to said normal position, said supporting and operating means having cooperative guiding mechanism with an intermediate stop'which guides the applicator in a compound movement between said normal and lubricating positions.

'7. lhe combination with an ignition generator having an interrupter housing, a shaft in the housing, and interrupter mechanism operable by the shaft; of a manual lubricator having a lubricant applicator, a plunger fast with the applicator; supporting means which is fast with the housing for supporting the lubricator therefrom and which includes a compound guiding surface, a shaft extension movable on an interior surface of the; supporting means, a pin connecting the plunger and shaft extension and cooperating with the guiding surface to guide the plunger in a compound movement between extreme positions, a manually operative hollow cylindrical handle fastened to the shaft extension and movable on an exterior surface of the supporting means, and a coil spring which surrounds the plunger and has its ends fastened to the supporting means and the shaft extension respectively.

8. The combination with an ignition generator having an interrupter housing, a shaft in the from and which has a hollow cylindrical extension and a compound guiding surface, a shaft extension, a pin connecting the plunger and shaft extension and cooperating with the guiding surface to guide the plunger in a compound movement between extreme positions, a manually operable handle fastened to the shaft extension for moving the applicator in a compound movement, as determined by the pin and guiding surface, into coaction with the interrupter mechanism to lubricate the same, and a spring which is effective upon release of the handle to return the applicator to normal position out of coaction with the interrupter mechanism, said shaft extension and-said handle being slidable on the interior and-exterior surfaces of the cylindrical extension.

9. The combination with an ignition generator having an interrupter housing, a shaft in the housing, and interrupter mechanism operable by the shaft; of a manual lubricator having a lubricant applicator, a plunger fast with the applicator, supporting means which supports the lubricator from the housing and which has a bushing with a compound'guiding surface and also a nut with a cylindrical extension screwed on the bushing, a shaft extension, a pin which fastens the plunger and shaft extension and which extends into cooperation with the guiding surface to guide the plunger in a compound movement between extreme positions, a manually operable handle fastened to the shaft extension for moving the applicator in a guided movement, as determined by the pin and guiding surface, into coaction with the interrupter mechanism to lubricate the same, and a spring which is effective upon release of the handle to return the applicator to normal position out of coaction with the interrupter mechanism, said shaft extension being movable on the interior surface of the bushing and the interior surface of the handle being movable on an exterior surface of the cylindrical extension of the nut. r 10. In a manual lubricator adapted to be fastened to the interrupter housing of an ignition generator having interrupter mechanism operable by a shaft in the housing, a lubricant applicator, a plunger fast with the applicator, supporting means which is adapted to be fastened to the interrupter housing to support the lubricator therefrom and which includes a hollow cylindrical extension with a compound guiding surface to guide the plunger in a compound movement between extreme positions, a shaft extension slidable on an interior surface of the cylindrical extension, a pin connecting the plunger and shaft extension and cooperative with the guiding surface, a hollow cylindrical handle fastened to the shaft extension and slidable on an exterior surface of the supporting means, and a spring which is effective upon release of thehandle to return the applicator from its lubricating position in coaction with the interrupter mechanism to its normal position out of such coaction.

FRANK S. COE.

ROBERT H. GIBSON. 

